Saturday Morning at Allegro and the Farmer's Market

Sasha and I have made a tradition of going of getting up late on Saturday morning and going to the University District for brunch at Cafe Allegro after which we walk up to the Farmer’s Market to stock up on fruit and other goodies.

The inside of Allegro

Photo by: Sasha Kopf

The inside of Allegro

Photo by: Michael Boyle

There are two Cafe Allegros in the University district and the one at the south end of the Ave is under the College Inn in a somewhat out of place, but very attractive and old fashioned building. Apparently it has been a cafe of some sort for quite a while. Hanging on one of their walls they have a photo of the inside of the building showing it set up as a classic ’50s-ish dining counter.

Slice of lemon on strawberry lemonade

Photo by: Sasha Kopf

Michael drinking orange juice

Photo by: Sasha Kopf

Colorful drinks

Photo by: Michael Boyle

Usually we get coffee but today we were very excited about our colorful drinks.

One of the things I like the most about Cafe Allegro is the light. With the high ceilings and windows over the entire southern side of the dining room, in the summer the light pours in. However the angle is such that it never hits directly beyond the first row of tables, so the light is bright and diffuse, lighting up any translucent objects in the cafe, and making juice very fun.

Sasha drinks, suspiciously

Photo by: Michael Boyle

Pepper in the light

Photo by: Sasha Kopf

We discovered the University District Farmer’s Market last year and it quickly became our favorite farmers market, definitely much more so than Pike’s Place. We would go every week and buy up a bunch of berries to make pie which we had just learned to make (no pie this year so far, though).

The market from the corner

Photo by: Michael Boyle

Sasha watching the market

Photo by: Michael Boyle

I think what makes me like the University District market so much is that there is such a vibrant culture among the venders. They stop by each others tents and clearly use it as an opportunity to see each other. It sounds somewhat silly and cliched, but it is very connected and real and gives you a better feeling of where your food comes from than just about anything else I’ve experienced.